Kegel Exercises Are No Longer The Answer for Repairing the Pelvic Floor (P.F.) Muscles.
Learn about what the Pelvic Floor muscles are, why kegel exercises are no longer the best technique and how to strengthen the P.F.
A Woman’s Pelvic Floor Muscles – Remember the Yellow Diamond Shape
The Pelvic Floor (PF) is the muscular base of the abdomen which is attached to the pelvis.
For women, it is the layer of muscles that support the pelvic organs (bladder, bowel, and uterus) and extends along the bottom of the pelvis from the front pubis to the tailbone.
Like a taut fabric of muscle.
Notice the yellow diamond in the image above which is a downward view. The spine is located in the middle bottom of this image.
Symptoms of a Weak Pelvic Floor
- Bladder leakage of any kind
- A frequent need to urinate
- Painful intercourse
- Inability to control light flatulence
- Rectum seepage
- Constipation/straining and pain with bowel movements
- Unsolved pain in the lower back, pelvis, genitals or rectum
- Muscle spasms in the pelvis area
Reasons for a Weak Pelvic Floor
- Childbirth
- Obesity
- Age/muscle breakdown/pelvic organs begin to gravitate down
- Frequent straining due to chronic constipation
- Chronic coughing
- Menopause (muscles weaken, less elastic bladder, vaginal dryness, weight gain)
- Fibroid cysts on the uterus
Begin Correcting and Building Muscles Now!
Many of the symptoms of a weak PF can be easily reversed and prevented.
Strong PF muscles give you bladder and bowel control.
Exercises are designed to improve muscle tone and prevent the need for corrective surgery, injections, medicines and (eh hem) diapers.
Building the PF Muscles Can
- Improve bladder and bowel control
- Reduce the risk of prolapse
- Improve recovery from childbirth and gynecological surgery
- Increase sexual sensation and orgasmic potential, and
- Increase social confidence and quality of life
Why Not Kegel Exercises?
An American gynecologist named Arnold Henry Kegel created Kegel exercises.
Kegel exercises are the “Squeezing of the muscles of the pelvic floor) as non-surgical treatment of genital relaxation” (Wikipedia) and thank goodness he did! This technique truly helped women.
However, Kegel exercises have been found to be missing one important distinction – connection with the diaphragm.
Kegel exercises, while a very important creation and technique, do not work with the breath.
It is now known now that the pelvic floor and the diaphragm are closely related.
Kegel was on the right track but now doctors and practitioners understand more.
How To Do Pelvic Floor Muscle Training?
- Discover the muscles by sitting upright in a chair or on the toilet.
- Squeeze in gently from the anal opening as if attempting to stop the passage of wind or gas. Squeeze and release.
- Notice how the entire area is larger than what we typically associate with an area to focus Kegel exercises on.
- Squeeze and draw the muscles up and inside towards the diaphragm.
- Hold the muscles tight and count to 10 or as long as you can to begin.
- Let the muscles go and relax.
- Repeat the above 8 to 12 times.
Tips:
- breathe and always remember the diaphragm
- squeeze and lift
- do not strain or push out
- visualize the pelvic floor as you do the exercises if it is a challenge to feel the muscles specifically
- variety: try sitting in a chair and tilting forward lifting and breathing in and then tilting backward and breathing out
When to Do PF Exercises
- During urination
- Discretely anytime – sitting or standing or lying down – at your desk, before sleep or upon awakening.
Yoga for Building PF Muscles
Yoga is great for building PF muscles as the poses combine breathing and building glute muscles.
Best Yoga poses for PF muscles are – chair pose, goddess pose, warrior three, bridge pose, locust.
Some Pilates instructors are very well-trained and conscientious of the PF muscles.
If you take a Pilates class currently, inquire with your instructor about their knowledge and class instruction techniques.
Exercises to Avoid If You Currently Have a Weak PF
- High-intensity abdominal exercises such as sit-ups, curl-ups, crunches
- Excessive abdominal exercises with a medicine ball
- Plank position on hands and feet; try instead: modified plank
- Full push ups – try instead: wall pushups
Come back to the exercises above if you want to after you’ve built your PF muscles.
Otherwise, you may just be creating stress and strain on the muscles in this area.
Consider the first diagram again and how doing strenuous sit ups could unintentionally impact this area.
An App for Home
Try this Video App at home. For your Phone, Tablet or Smart Device from the Continence Association of Australia. Pelvic Floor First app
Related Definitions
Urinary Incontinence – unintentional loss of urine
Prolapse – a slipping forward or down of one of the parts or organs of the body
- in women, this may be felt as a bulge in the vagina or a feeling of heaviness, discomfort, pulling, dragging or dropping
- types of prolapse for women as it relates to the pelvic floor: uterine, rectal, bowel, bladder
Kegel exercises – an exercise to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles; used to treat urinary incontinence, or to prepare for or recover from childbirth stress incontinence.
Conclusion
Spend some time with Pelvic Floor Muscle Building as part of your regular routine to improve this important, valuable area of your body and enjoy an improved quality of life as you age.
Be sure to see your doctor if you have any serious issues with incontinence and prolapse or if you don’t notice any changes after 3 – 4 months of building your pelvic floor muscles.
Information and research gathered from The National Association for Incontinence, The Continence Foundation of Australia, other accredited practitioners and even from the local hospital.
With Love,
Signe